Alaska- RSSC or Silversea?

[SusanNJ]

Wanting to go to Alaska and personally preferring Seabourn who does not venture there, I am wondering which line I should take next summer. I am just back from a Silverseas cruise to Northern Europe which was fine, but not up to the service or food standards of Seabourn. Those of you who have travelled RSSC and Silversea, what is your preference?

[Travelcat2]

We have done 10 Regent cruises and 2 on Silversea (within the past year). The most comfortable ship we have ever sailed on was the Silver Whisper (in a Silver Suite). The ship Silversea uses in Alaska is the Shadow that is almost of a twin of the Whisper.

 

I like the "elegant casual" feel on Regent. The regular suites on both ships are about the same. You would be on the Navigator in Alaska -- we have sailed Alaska on the Navigator. Wow -- this comparison is difficult for many reasons. Okay -- I honestly feel that the Silver Shadow is a much better ship than the Navigator. While they are about the same size, the Shadow carries 393 passengers and the Navigator carries 490. The Navigator has small public areas while the Shadow's open areas are spacious and open.

 

Regent includes some excursions which Silversea does not. Excursions can be quite expensive in Alaska. Regent excursions are good. . . you just need to book early online. In terms of their excursions with a cost. . . . I would do a comparison with tour operators in Alaska that reportedly have better prices than Regent. We have no experience with excursions on Silversea in Alaska. So, Regent definitely wins over Silversea due to the included excursions.

 

Food: While food is subjective, I find the food in the main dining area -- The Restaurant on Silversea and Compass Rose on the Navigator to be the same in terms of service, wine and food quality. There are times when the servers and cooks seems overwhelmed and the service slows down. This seems to happen on both cruise lines.

 

La Veranda (on Regent) and La Terrazza on Silversea. . . . although similiar in offerings for breakfast and lunch, La Terrazza is considerably better than La Veranda. The service in La Terrazza is amazing. The servers line up to carry your food to your table and are there to take your egg orders, etc. They are warm, friendly and efficient. Their lunch offerings are hot and delicious . . . . nice salad bar and cheeses that we have never heard of (but taste delicious). The desserts are to die for (but, of course, we don't eat them)........ well, maybe a little bit.

 

Unfortunately, Regent cut down the size of La Veranda making it quite difficult to get around when it is crowded (before people are scheduled for excursions). Their offerings are okay. The servers sometimes seem to be someplace else mentally. IMO, not as good as SS.

 

In the evening La Terrazza is a lovely Italian restaurant. You do need reservations for this dining venue. We dined here several times -- even though the menu changed very little.

 

Silversea has a speciality restaurant, Le Champagne. We decided not to dine there.

 

The Navigator has one speciality restaurant -- Prime 7. The atmosphere is not wonderful but you can get a great steak and wonderful crab legs. It is worth a try. But, to be honest again, my husband had to send his salmon back twice because it was raw (would have been okay if it was sushi:-) Still, I do recommend Prime 7.

 

The bottom line to me is that you felt Silversea was not as good as Seabourn. I don't know if you'll find Regent any better. I rate Silversea and Regent the same (with different strengths and weaknesses).

 

Whichever cruise line you choose, you will have a wonderful experience in Alaska:)

 

Service on both cruise lines is good to excellent. I feel that service is equal on both lines.

[Travel2Learn]

TC2, which ship is better to avoid smoke? I prefer smoke-free areas. Smoke ignores the divide between smoking and non-smoking in an open area, including verandas.

[SusanNJ]

Silverseas offers $1000/ couple shipboard credit, so free excursion on RSSC is not that much of an inducement. We are just back from a Silverseas cruise. Dinners were very good. I did not care for the breakfast at all. They could not make french toast or pancakes and the buffet never changed. While service was okay, it was far from the service we experienced on Seabourn. I think you have made up my mind for me... it will be Silverseas again. Can anyone convince me otherwise? I wish Seabourn or Crystal whom I have never experienced went to Alaska.

[juli2020]

Wanting to go to Alaska and personally preferring Seabourn who does not venture there, I am wondering which line I should take next summer. I am just back from a Silverseas cruise to Northern Europe which was fine, but not up to the service or food standards of Seabourn. Those of you who have travelled RSSC and Silversea, what is your preference?

 

I have sailed on the Silver Shadow(Silversea) for a 10 night cruise to Alaska in 2009 and on the Navigator(Regent) for a 12 night cruise to Alaska in May of 2011.

Silver Shadow is a much nicer ship(decor/spacious) over all than the Navigator.

The suites are about the same but the bathrooms are much nicer on the Silver Shadow. The bathrooms are newer and have double sinks.

Both ships are about the same size but the Silver Shadow carries 108 less passengers. Found the Navigator crowded compared to the Silver Shadow.

There is a forward lounge to sit in on the Silver Shadow. There is no forward lounge on the Navigator.

The service was better/more personal on Silversea compared to Regent.

Plus everyone gets a Butler on Silversea. We had a Butler on Regent which gave us good service but the Butler service is only available from the Penthouse suites and above on Regent.

The food is about the same on both lines.

The excursions are included on the Navigator but not on Silversea but Silversea does give you around $1000-1500 shipboard credit.

I agree with you that the food/service was better on Seabourn compared to Silversea.

 

To Travel2Learn:Smoking issue:

There seemed to be a lot of smoking on deck 6(inside) during our Navigator cruise in May. Was never bothered by smoke on the Silver Shadow.

[TedC]

TC2, which ship is better to avoid smoke? I prefer smoke-free areas. Smoke ignores the divide between smoking and non-smoking in an open area, including verandas.

 

Never been on Silversea but Regent does not allow smoking in suites or verandas - which is a big plus for us. We've never been bothered by smoke on Regent and smoking areas are quite restricted.

[count florida]

In the spring of 2010 we cruised in Silver Whisper and Regent Voyager, and I put together a comparison I thought I'd posted here on Cruise Critic, but now can't find. I did have a copy on my computer, so I’ve been able to include it below.

 

In considering which line to take, the comments re: cruising in Alaska waters and those comparing the Regent Navigator to the Silver Shadow posted above are very specific to your question; the review below has two limiting factors:

(1) It compares the Voyager, a more commodious and in IMO better ship than the Navigator to the Whisper's twin, and

(2) It is more a general comparison of the lines with Regent favored by our upgrade to a Penthouse suite, gaining a butler we wouldn't ordinarily have on Regent. The butler did make a difference, just one we're not usually willing to pay that much for.

 

You should also factor in that we are on the Platinum tier of Regent's Seven Seas reward system, which gives us a plethora of very worthwhile benefits [see http://www.rssc.com/society/] first-time Regent cruisers won't enjoy without spending a good deal more.

 

Hope this helps:

 

 

Earlier I had posted the quote below in another thread here on Cruise Critic:

We too have been disappointed with Regent in recent years, particularly the decline in service and food and the constant expansion of all-inclusive coupled with increasing costs, so after almost 250 days on RSSC, we are trying Silversea in April – Silver Shadow from San Juan to Ft. Lauderdale. If that cruise goes well, we'll take the triple back-to-back Istanbul-Athens-Venice-Monaco cruise on the new Silver Spirit in September-October, 2011. . . The information here about the extra charges for alternate dining and wine with dinner on Silversea is disquieting, particularly as we will again have to pay for the Internet, and do or pay for our laundry. . . It’s really a shame, RSSC was so good, and many of the Platinum perks are so nice, but we just haven’t been happy with the cutbacks, first in cabin service, and more recently in food variety and dining service. Plus we prefer to make our own excursion arrangements rather than join the thundering herds on the busses. We like a drink, but not enough to support the all-inclusive policy. Wine with dinner plus the set-up was plenty for us, although we would have preferred a cocktail party or happy hour before dinner to the in-suite setups. We're giving Regent another shot though, the Voyager from Ft. Lauderdale to Reykjavik in May, with high hopes but low expectations. Truly a shame!

Well, now we’ve taken both cruises, the April 2010 - Caribbean cruise on the Silver Shadow and the May – Ft. Lauderdale to Reykjavik cruise on Voyager, which just happened to be this year’s (season’s?) President’s cruise; Mark Conway and his lovely wife were on board as far as Halifax. During that part of the cruise, both food and service were the best we’ve had on Regent in several years. After Halifax, it fell off a bit, but was still pretty good. And we certainly enjoyed all the perks that come with the Platinum tier on Regent, plus we were offered and took a low-cost upgrade to a Penthouse Suite, so we were able to compare service, butler against butler!

I don’t know if we’d be willing to pay full price for a butler on Regent, but it is a very welcome addition; it takes the level of in-suite service back to, and honestly a fair distance beyond, that we used to enjoy when every suite on Radisson had both a stewardess and a steward. Interestingly enough, our Silversea butler was on his first contract with them; previously he had been on Voyager for several contracts, and was a good buddy of our butler on that ship. Both were great and insured we had outstanding service! Having butlers in all suites is a definite plus for Silversea.

Silversea’s food was just a slight bit better than Regent’s early high standard, in both selection and quality, but the choice of standard wines was not as extensive or as good. And since we had to pay for many amenities we get without charge via our Seven Seas Society tier status with Regent (laundry, Internet access, newspaper, free air deviation service, etc.), we didn’t spring for any of the connoisseur collection wines. Overall, Silversea gets the edge on food and overall service. My wife remarked that while all of the Regent staff were graciously attentive and smiled a lot while the Conroy’s were aboard, the quickly went back to cordial but slow service, smiles absent, as soon as they disembarked in Halifax. Despite disclaimers that service and provisioning expenses have not been cut, our experience on this cruise (after Halifax) and on earlier cruises, as well as the very nature of the Apollo-Prestige-Regent business relationship, the way outfits like Apollo operate, at least strongly suggest otherwise. If budgets haven’t been cut, they certainly haven’t kept pace with inflation.

In his Town Meeting on board, Mark Conway pointed out some of the constraints on staffing, one being Regent’s ability to recruit and keep trained help, particularly in competition with lines that do not include gratuities in the fare, where wait and stateroom staff typically make more overall than their counterparts on lines like Regent that do include tips in the fare. Other factors affecting staffing levels is that Regent ships don’t have free staff cabins to house larger crews, a hard-to-believe contention as all three ships were in service when Radisson had two stewards(esses) per suite and many more wait and supervisory staff in the dining rooms. Also, Mark cited competition from all the large new ships that are just coming into service, and joked at one point that if he banned smoking he’d have to do it for both guests and crew. Then we’d have to wait on ourselves and make our own beds. Neither of us smoke, and only once in two weeks, in the bar across from the Casino, did we smell smoke, not enough to bother us, but certainly noticeable to the hyper-sensitive.

Comparing the two ships overall and in suites and entertainment, the two lines come out nearly equal. Bothersome to us are charges for the alternate restaurant and the Internet on Silversea, and the loss of food choice and quality as well as the declining levels of service on Regent. We get lots of benefits with them though, and like all three Regent ships, with the Voyager being a slight favorite. We’re concerned about the Silver Wind and Cloud, with their lack of separate showers (we always take a shower suite on Mariner). The specialty restaurants on Regent are better too, in our opinion, plus there isn’t an added charge for any of them. And today, access to the Internet is (or certainly should be) an integral part of any upscale lodging or cruising experience. Silversea approach is so 1990ies.

In all honesty, overall for us Silversea and Regent are mostly just about equal. Silversea’s edge in food quality and selection, it’s universal butlers, and very clear edge overall in service and friendliness of staff is balanced by Regent’s plethora of included features and amenities we get as Platinum members of the Seven Seas Society. So we’ll continue to cruise with Regent, and if we can find a cruise that isn’t cancelled or truncated to accommodate a charter, we'll also travel again with Silversea.

The great three week triple back-to-back Istanbul-Athens-Venice-Monaco cruise on the new Silver Spirit in September-October, 2011 we’d booked (see quote above) was cancelled when they chartered the ship for a major piece of the Athens-Venice leg. Our super-agent and a very helpful woman at the Silversea call center found us another, shorter back-to-back cruise on the Cloud a bit later, making several of the same port calls, so we booked that, disappointed that we wouldn’t be sailing in the new ship but comforted by a small discount to make up for the cancellation. Then just last week we were notified that this second cruise has been shortened by several days, making it hardly worth the effort to get to it and back; flying is such a giant hassle these days!

So our verdict in the Silversea vs. Regent sweepstakes: TOO CLOSE TO CALL! For those just getting started cruising these types of lines, Silversea gets the edge, but I’d try Seabourn and Crystal as well, and consider the benefits you get cruising with each over time before making up my mind.

[Travelcat2]

Never been on Silversea but Regent does not allow smoking in suites or verandas - which is a big plus for us. We've never been bothered by smoke on Regent and smoking areas are quite restricted.

 

There is no longer smoking on verandas on Silversea. The only place smoking was slightly intrusive was in The Bar where half of the venue is smoking and the other half is non-smoking. On Regent, you find a large section of the pool area smoking and the other part non-smoking.

 

Regent, IMO, gets a bad rap for smoking. Yes -- the areas where smoking is allowed is overwhelmed with smokers since there is no where else to go. This means smoking by the pool bar, Stars on the Mariner -- half of Stars on the Navigator and the Voyager lounge. . . .. . until now. After the latest refurbishment, it has been reported that the Voyager lounge no longer allows smoking.

 

When we were on the Silver Spirit (do not care for that ship), we smelled smoke wafting into the hallways from the suites. It was not as bad on the Whisper.

 

Those of us who do not want to be near smoking need to realize that there are people who smoke and they are entitled to a place where they can smoke (as long as it does not interfere with others).

 

So, in terms of smoking, I would not be concerned about Silversea.

[jhp]

SusanNJ, I'm just interested what you are thinking after all these replies. Do you now have a preference? I've been to Alaska 3 times, but all on Regent, so surely I have a bias. But I've sailed on Silversea twice elsewhere.

[Travelcat2]

SusanNJ: After reading all of the responses, and being reminded of the $1,000 OBC, I would no doubt make the same decision as you. Enjoy your cruise.:)

[jhp]

Silverseas offers $1000/ couple shipboard credit, so free excursion on RSSC is not that much of an inducement. We are just back from a Silverseas cruise. Dinners were very good. I did not care for the breakfast at all. They could not make french toast or pancakes and the buffet never changed. While service was okay, it was far from the service we experienced on Seabourn. I think you have made up my mind for me... it will be Silverseas again. Can anyone convince me otherwise? I wish Seabourn or Crystal whom I have never experienced went to Alaska.

 

Ahem.... aside from the previous post, who knows, I just might try, but seems you have already made up your mind. But I don't know what the costs of your excursions are. They are expensive in Alaska. Just a heads up, and have a great time!

[WesW]

Susan, Crystal does have one voyage in 2012 (18 days, Kobe to Vancouver) to Alaska:

 

http://www.crystalcruises.com/VoyageDetail.aspx?CID=3209&RK=ALA

 

Briefly looking at the numbers, unless you do your own air, SS or Regent offers the better value.

 

Also, if you have not read this recent Regent/Navigator Alaska reveiw, pls take a look:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=88850

[Suite Travels]

Crystal does go to Alaska.

[Travelcat2]

I responded to the OP because the request was for travelers who have cruised on both Silversea and Regent. Certainly there are other cruise lines that sail to Alaska.

 

The linked review of the Navigator was lovely. If you look back in the "Review" section, I did a review of the Navigator a few years ago (loved it). However, after sailing on Silversea's Whisper (same size, etc. as Shadow), it would be difficult to prefer the Navigator. The way the Shadow/Whisper is designed -- the beautiful woods . . . so classical. And, as mentioned above, the ships are almost the same size (same tonnage -- Shadow 55 feet longer). The Navigator holds 490 passengers while the Shadow holds 382. That is quite a difference in the amount of public space available.

 

If the comparison was between the Mariner or Voyager and the Silver Spirit, my recommendation would be completely different. I would definitely recommend sailing on Regent.

[SusanNJ]

Since we like the smaller ships SS, RSSC or Linblad are the only games in town. We would like to do Crystal, but can't go for 17 days and really wanted to spend our time in Alaska.

 

Thank you for your comments.